By Sonia Isaacs
THE Glass House Mountains are drawing record numbers of climbers and rescues as social media-fuelled adventurism and inexperience drive a sharp spike in rescues, prompting urgent safety warnings from frontline responders.
Queensland Police Service data provided on SES mountain rescues in the Glass House Mountains area, which includes Mount Beerwah and Mount Tibrogargan, shows a clear long-term increase over the past decade. Rescues rose from just three in 2015 before a record high 27 rescues in 2024 and 2025.
In just the first three months of 2026, there have been 13 rescues, including three fatalities.
Queensland Fire and Rescue officer Brendan Boyd, who has been involved in Glass House Mountains operations for more than a decade, said technical rescues have grown from a handful a year to dozens, with 2026 already tracking well above historical averages.
“Ten years ago you might have seen around five rescues a year. Now we’re looking at closer to 25 to 35,” Mr Boyd said.
“This year alone we’re already sitting around 13 to 15 jobs and we’re only a quarter of the way through the year. Statistically, that’s about one a week.”
Mr Boyd believes the steady escalation was due to not only increased visitation but changing behaviour driven by social media platforms promoting summit imagery and high-risk photographic opportunities.
“There’s a bit of Instagram and chasing a glorious-looking photo at the top of the mountains,” he said.
“You see the comments that go with those things, the energy behind it with comments like ‘power to you’ and ‘well done’.
“I think that feeds into people’s desire to go give it a crack.”
He said the issue is also compounded by the number of inexperienced climbers attempting routes without fully understanding the terrain or conditions.
On the Glass House Mountains, users broadly fall into three groups: technical rock climbers, experienced hikers, and first-time visitors or tourists – with the latter accounting for a significant proportion of rescues.
“They come in with little understanding about what they’re going to undertake,” Mr Boyd said.
“They possibly don’t stop and read the information signs at the car park. That’s not the place to start. These are technically quite challenging routes.”
Mount Beerwah and Mount Tibrogargan remain among the most frequently accessed and most hazardous peaks in the range.
Climbers in these areas encounter “scrambling terrain” low-angle rock faces requiring the use of hands and feet, where even minor errors can have severe consequences.
“It’s not technical rock climbing in itself, but you’re going into that zone,” Mr Boyd said.
“If you have even a minor fall in those locations, you can have significant consequences – potentially death.”
Conditions, he said, can rapidly escalate risk, particularly during wet weather when rock surfaces become slick and unstable.
“Our advice would be just stay off those mountains in wet weather,” he said. “Even extremely experienced people get themselves in difficult situations.”
Night and sunset climbs are another recurring factor in callouts, with climbers attempting descents in darkness using mobile phone torches.
“It’s not infrequent for us to go up and assist people down who have gone up without torches, without a clear understanding of the route,” Mr Boyd said.
“They can get off route, run out of battery, and that’s when they often make a phone call and realise they’ve got themselves in trouble.”
Heat also plays a significant role in summer rescues, with climbers attempting steep ascents in high temperatures while carrying insufficient water.
Mr Boyd said the increasing number of incidents is placing pressure not only on those requiring rescue and their loved ones but also on emergency responders dealing with often challenging and in some cases, traumatic scenes.
“Every fatality can affect people differently depending on how they connect,” he said.
“Future rescues are obviously challenging for crew – as they will revisit that scene on multiple occasions going forward. None of us particularly like to revisit scenes of fatalities. PTSD is certainly real.”
On land-based search and rescue operations, Queensland Police Service generally acts as the controlling authority, with Queensland Fire and Rescue providing technical capability and the State Emergency Service supporting wider search efforts.
Aeromedical retrieval (LifeFlight) is deployed only when necessary due to cost and complexity.
“We’re in a lucky country,” Boyd said.
“It certainly does cost, but we have a service that comes and gets you. You can imagine the alternative -‘send your Visa card details before we respond’. That’s just not how it works in Australia.”
Keep mountains open
Despite the rising toll, Mr Boyd does not support closing access to the mountains.
“Absolutely not,” he said.
“Do we close beaches because we have a lot of people get caught in rips? Being adventurous is important – but understand your limitations, do things safely and plan what you’re about to do.”
He urged visitors to begin on lower-risk walking tracks, travel with experienced companions, and respect conditions and signage.
“Don’t start on technical summit routes if you’re a beginner,” he said. “Read the signs, carry enough water, proper footwear, and a charged phone. Avoid wet weather, extreme heat and night climbs. And don’t be afraid to turn back.”
“At the bottom of the mountain there are some beautiful trails that go around those mountains,” he said. “You don’t always have to go up.”
A Department of the Environment, Tourism, Science and Innovation spokesperson confirmed the Queensland Government is not considering permanently closing the mountains.
“Natural places carry real risks, and it is vital that visitors respect temporary closures and follow safety advice, including never climbing in wet conditions,” they said.
Department figures indicate Mount Beerwah attracts about 15,000 visitors annually and Mount Tibrogargan about 43,000, with safety signage in place along access routes reinforcing risks and conditions.
